The midfielder talks about his return to Alvalade so far

João Mário returns to Sporting Clube de Portugal this season. This Thursday, in conversation with the media, he explained his satisfaction with his 'homecoming,' saying that he is “a completely different João Mário” from the player who left a few years ago.

Sporting CP have also changed, and the team that he found upon his return is different, but the midfielder does not like to make comparisons because the context is not the same either.

“We have a very pleasant atmosphere and it's a breath of fresh air for everybody, from the president, to the coach and the squad. I am very happy to encounter this situation at Sporting CP. This is a very young and humble side," he explained.

“I see a lot of quality and a willingness to do things well," revealed the midfielder.

“The key to success is ambition, hard work and the sense of responsibility that we have. The fact that we play for a big club is already a stimulus and a big responsibility, and this is a spectacular group that have taken the responsibility onboard".

The Portuguese asked for calm about Sporting CP's current position at the top of the Liga NOS table.

“We are working very well, but we are only thinking about going game by game, because we are still at an early stage of the season and it is not worth thinking differently. What we can promise is a lot of hard work and a lot of commitment to the club”.

João Mário also talked about the absence of supporters from the stands, saying that “Both the younger players and the older ones amongst us are used to playing with fans in attendance. I don't believe that any of us would prefer to play without fans, and I also don't believe that any Sporting CP team plays better without fans than with them".

Asked about Rúben Amorim, he was full of praise for the work done by the young coach so far.

“I didn't come across the coach as a player and I didn't know him well, but I've been enjoying working with him a lot. He is a coach who demands a lot of respect and competitiveness from the team, and that's good. I identify with him a lot because he has a very modern mentality".

The Portuguese also spoke about the national team, and his desire to return to Fernando Santos' plans.

“Portugal have one of the best teams in the world and it is never easy to get a call-up, but I want to continue working so that, in March, with more minutes under my belt, I can fight for a place,” he said, adding that: “It's a group of players that I know well and in which I would really like to be. I knew that being at Sporting CP, playing here and having a positive year -as it has been so far- would take me closer to returning to the national team. That also had an influence on my returning home".

The award was given for September/October

Pedro Gonçalves has been chosen as Liga NOS' Midfielder of the Month for September/October by the coaches of teams participating in the competition.

The Sporting Clube de Portugal player, who in the four games played during that period scored three goals, collected 46.67 percent of the votes.

Gonçalves, who joined Sporting CP from Famalicão back in August, has carried his scoring form into November, with consecutive braces against Tondela and Vitória SC. The 22-year-old has found the net in the last four games, for a total of 7 this season.

The team lead Liga NOS after their latest win and remain unbeaten

Sporting CP remain top of the Liga NOS table after Matchday 7 of the season, thanks to a 0-4 win away from home at Vitória SC. A comprehensive win means they continue as the early pacesetters in the Portuguese top tier, with an impressive goal haul.

Rúben Amorim made just one change to the side that had beaten CD Tondela 4-0 last time out, bringing in Nuno Santos in place of Tiago Tomás. Sporting CP's starting XI consisted of Adán, Neto, Coates, Feddal, Porro, João Mário, João Palhinha, Nuno Mendes, Pedro Gonçalves, Šporar and Nuno Santos.

The decision to bring in Nuno Santos paid off early, with a goal for him after just 11 minutes. He was set up to score by Pedro Gonçalves, getting the team off the mark after they had previously come close with a João Mário shot against the crossbar.

Vitória SC would attempt to respond, and off a Quaresma set piece Suliman almost scored with a header, but Adán would make the save.

Whilst Sporting CP continued to threaten, it was only just before the interval that they doubled their lead. On 44 minutes, a move between Šporar and Porro ended with an assist for the in-form Pedro Gonçalves.

After the break, Vitória had a goal by André André ruled out for offside by both referee Hugo Miguel and the VAR, and Sporting CP recovered from the scare for a stellar second half. Gonçalves scored his second of the game - and his seventh of the season - with a strike on 55 minutes.

With his team 0-3 up, Rúben Amorim made changes to the team, starting by putting Matheus Nunes on in place of João Mário and adding Jovane Cabral and Tiago Tomás to replace Nuno Santos and Šporar. The substitutions paid off, as Jovane Cabral was soon fed the ball by Matheus Nunes to round off the scoring.

Gonçalves came close to a hat-trick, but would be denied by Bruno Varela in the final clear opportunity of the contest. A hefty 0-4 scoreline at the final whistle keeps Sporting CP top, with an international break up next in which to rest and prepare for the next stage of the season.

Sporting CP face Vitória SC on Saturday (8:30pm)

Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim looked ahead to the league leaders' Saturday league game against Vitória SC in his pre-match press conference.

“We have to break down everything that revolves around being in first place. Simplifying things, we have to keep the lead in Liga NOS by winning the game. We only have to win, because by winning we will maintain the position. Our goal is always to maintain or improve, but as we cannot improve our position at this point - only our points, then that is what it's about. It's another game, and we will have to win and treat things normally - it's the best way to go about things”, he said.

“Vitória SC were very strong offensively last season, but had some gaps in defence. It seems that this has changed now; they have a new coach, whose quality we already know from his time at CD Santa Clara. They are a very strong team, and the side that have conceded the fewest goals so far, as well as having individual players in attack like Ricardo Quaresma or Marcus Edwards who can make a difference. They are also still at the beginning of a process, but they are an excellent team; they have a lot of points and they strive for big ambitions. It will be a difficult game at a ground that is always tough to visit".

Finally, the coach revealed what the team will need to do to take the three points.

“We have studied the opposition and seen where there may be some weak points, but after that it depends on the individuals. (…) We have players of great quality, either in the starting eleven or who can come on during the game. We hope that the Sporting CP players will be inspired. If they are not, we will take them out and bring in others. This is how we will try to win, as we have done throughout the season".

Looking ahead to Saturday's Liga NOS fixture

Top of the Liga NOS table after 6 games played, Sporting CP take on Vitória SC this Saturday at the Estádio Dom Afonso Henriques.

The team come into the contest off the back of an unbeaten start to the season, having only dropped points in the 2-2 draw against FC Porto last month. Most recently, they beat CD Tondela 4-0 last Sunday, thanks to a brace from Pedro Gonçalves and first goals of the league season for Pedro Porro and Andraž Šporar.

The opposition

Vitória SC triumphed against Gil Vicente FC away from home on Matchday 6, with Rochinha and Bruno Duarte scoring the goals. They are up into sixth place in the table with 10 points -6 behind Sporting CP.

Last time out

The most recent meeting between the two teams was back in June, and ended in a 2-2 draw. Šporar was on target to put Sporting CP ahead twice, but João Carlos Teixeira and Marcus Edwards provided the equalisers on each occasion.

Previously, at the Estádio José Alvalade, goals from Jesé, Marcos Acuña and Sebastián Coates handed Os Leões a comfortable 3-1 home win in October of last year.

Gonçalves in form

Pedro Gonçalves has been a standout in recent weeks, finding the net on 5 occasions in 3 games. The free-scoring midfielder was on target twice against CD Santa Clara in the 1-2 away win, capped the 3-1 home victory over Gil Vicente FC with a goal in stoppage time, and added another brace in the 4-0 rout of CD Tondela.

It is his most successful ever scoring run to date, and his 5 goals this season match his total from 33 Liga NOS games played last term with Famalicão

Squad

Bruno Tabata and Antunes have both been undertaking individual training this week, on both the pitch and the gym at the Academia Sporting. Neither will be available for the Matchday 7 game.

Fresh from scoring his first SCP goal, the Spaniard talks about his adaptation

A standout for Sporting CP since joining the club, Pedro Porro spoke this week about his first goal in Liga NOS, his adaptation to the team and the upcoming match against Vitória.

A first goal in the green and white shirt

“I like to get close to the penalty area, as you have seen. The goal was a move in which Feddal sent a long pass to Pedro Gonçalves. He gave it to Nuno Santos, who followed the movement, and I was far back. I tried to get in there, and when Nuno Santos crossed, the ball was so perfect that I was able to score. It was a great team effort, and we have to continue in the same way.”

An important win against CD Tondela

“We know that games against teams like CD Tondela can go badly, but the team were solid, compact and united. In the first minute of the game we could have scored two or three goals through Pedro Gonçalves. The team had a great game, and it was a good victory.”

“We did very well from the start, and always had intensity. We couldn't give them time to think, because we were playing at home and we have to be strong here. The team did well in every minute of the match. We could have slowed down In stoppage time, but we were looking for more and scored the fourth goal. That is where you can see the spirit and confidence that we have.”

A perfect adaptation

“I had heard people speak highly about the club. I knew that coming to Sporting CP could make me a better player, and that is what is happening. My teammates also give me a lot of help, and I'm really enjoying being here. You can see this on the pitch. We support each other and that is fundamental for us to remain at the top.”

Regaining full fitness

“I knew that when I got here I had to regain the confidence I had lost in the past. I came here after not playing much, but my fitness is actually very good. As the games go by, everything will be fine; we will always be looking for more.”

The weekend game against Vitória SC

“We live to win. We have to give everything we have to win away there. We don't have to think about anything else, and just go game-by-game. I think that, with the confidence that the team have, we can achieve great things this season.”

Sporting CP dominate to win 4-0 at home

Sporting Clube de Portugal went provisionally top of the Liga NOS table with a 4-0 win over CD Tondela, on Matchday 6 of the season.

Missing Bruno Tabata and Vitorino Antunes due to injury, Rúben Amorim brought João Mário into the starting lineup and returned Tiago Tomás and Andraž Šporar to his first XI, in a decision that almost paid dividends after five minutes of play.

Following a free kick from the right side of the attack, João Mário found Coates completely unmarked in the heart of the area, but the Uruguayan's header missed the target by a matter of a few centimeters. Soon after, Tomás tried his luck with a low shot, but it was saved by the goalkeeper.

After 20 minutes of play, Sporting CP enjoyed two back-to-back opportunities. First, Pedro Gonçalves came very close to opening the scoring after an excellent combination move, and then Nuno Mendes, with a strong shot, provided a scare for the CD Tondela goalkeeper.

In complete control and never letting the opposition go on the attack, Os Leões mounted the pressure and Pedro Gonçalves forced another save from Pedro Trigueira.

Eventually, on 45 minutes and after numerous attempts on goal, Pedro Gonçalves finally broke the deadlock, meeting Pedro Porro's cross with a well-placed header at the far post. It was the third consecutive game in which he had found the net, and came after a dominant first half display.

Just four minutes after the restart, Andraž Šporar got to the line and played in a perfect ball, met by Pedro Gonçalves for his second goal, taking the score to 2-0.

Tiago Tomás took advantage of a lapse in concentration by the CD Tondela goalkeeper to create danger, and the situation was repeated again seconds later, with Šporar forcing another great intervention by Trigueira.

Sporting CP were not allowing any opposition chances, and added to their goals when, on 79 minutes, Nuno Santos guided a cross to the feet of Pedro Porro. His first touch found its way into the net to make it 3-0.

In the final minutes, Rúben Amorim brought on birthday boy Gonzalo Plata for Nuno Mendes, but it would be Andraž Šporar who put the icing on the cake: After an initial shot from him was saved, he put in the rebound to cap a resounding 4-0 triumph.

The Sporting CP coach praised his team's showing against CD Tondela

Following Sunday's victory against CD Tondela, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach, Rúben Amorim was very pleased with the showing provided by his players. He spoke about this and more in his post-match press conference.

“It was an excellent performance; we improved a lot of the things that we were lacking in the last game. Now we still have many things to improve. There are days like this sometimes, in which everything goes well, the intensity is there, etc. We are obviously satisfied, but we have things to improve. We got the three points, and the same goes for the game against Gil Vicente FC. We have to keep on this path," said Amorim, who refuted the idea that it was the change in some of the starters that gave the team more quality.

“We cannot make this comparison, they are completely different teams. The players who came in were the right choices, just like the others were, hence the good results. The team were selected according to the opponents and this being the third game in a week. Although the players are able to recover, in my experience sometimes you need fresh blood and hunger for the ball after three games in a week. We are always sure that everyone is ready to play, but it was a really great performance.”

According to Amorim, effectiveness in front of goal is one of the points that the squad  must work on.

“We need to improve on this aspect. We were centimetres away from conceding against a team that barely attacked. Generally, the teams that win titles are those that concede fewer goals. With the quality that we have in our attack and on the whole team, if we don't suffer then we will always be closer to scoring. Today we had a good performance, everything went well and everyone played well."

“At our best, this team can beat any opponents in the league. But the important thing is not our league position on Matchday 6 -it's our position at the end of the season. It matters little if it's our first time at the top in five years -it is completely irrelevant. What matters is that we place well at the end of the season. I want to tell the players not to care about everything that is said after a game. We have to stay focused, as we are going to have a very difficult game in Guimarães,” he concluded.

"We cannot be distracted by other things, because we have work to do"

In the runup to this Sunday's match against CD Tondela (8pm local time) on Liga NOS Matchday 6, Sporting Clube de Portugal coach Rúben Amorim commented on a good start to the season for Os Leões.

“It is nothing that I wasn't expecting, because it' what we work for," he said in his pre-match press conference.

"Right now, it's nothing special. We know that we are Sporting CP, and that this type of result is natural, but we are only going into the sixth game. We are still at the beginning of this job that we started last year."

Despite this, working is always better when you have a run of good results behind you, and that is what we want to continue to do.”

Sporting CP could go provisionally top of the table with a win, but Amorim said that they must focus on the game itself, rather than the consequences of victory.

“Both the younger players and the more experienced ones should only pay attention to the match; they cannot look at anything else. We cannot be distracted by other things, because we have work to do. What we want tomorrow is to be focused on our play and guarantee the three points.

"We only have to think about CD Tondela, because if we take the victory then we don't need to think about anything else -we will be assured of the top spot. We go into every game looking to win and to improve our performance.”.

Amorim confirmed that Bruno Tabata and Vitorino Antunes will be unavailable due to injury. He also revealed what he expects from Sunday's opponents.

“We know the strengths of CD Tondela. Once again, a team are coming to Alvalade highly motivated and without any responsibility to get a result. We had some problems in certain moments of the game against Gil Vicente FC, and we will certainly want to improve in these aspects. By doing that, we will improve the team's play."

Antunes and Tabata train separately from the group

Having recovered from their efforts in the midweek fixture against CD Santa Clara, Sporting CP's focus in Friday training shifted to their next encounter: A meeting with CD Tondela. The game takes place on Sunday at 8pm local time, and will be the team's sixth game of the Liga NOS season.

Two players trained apart from the group: Vitorino Antunes, who undertook individual drills on the pitch but is still not available for coach Rúben Amorim, and Bruno Tabata, who underwent physio work and trained in the gym.

The Leões will have another session on Saturday at 10am at Alcochete, and at 6:30pm Rúben Amorim will preview the game at the Estádio José Alvalade in his pre-match press conference.